Rating: 3 STARS Genre: YA/Fantasy/LGBT Standalone/Series: Standalone (I think - see review for more info) How I got this book: Bought Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up. Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. Please don't hate me!! I KNOW that this book is super highly rated and everyone seems to love it. Hell, that's the very reason I decided to pick it up.
"It's like gay Harry Potter." - SOLD to the chick with a seriously disturbing Harry/Malfoy obsession. That fandom is probably the basis for my entire 'enemies to lovers' trope craze. Upon first reading, I honestly wondered what all the fuss was about. It sort of read like a really obvious Harry Potter parody/fan fiction that was determined to poke fun at that series. After speaking to my good friend Lia the Book Bat, (don't forget to check out her awesome new book blog), I found out that this was probably intentional. Remember my note above about thinking that this was a standalone read? Well, now I'm not too sure. Lia kindly let me know that there's another book by Rainbow Rowell called Fangirl which basically centers around a girl who writes fanfiction for Simon Snow (who is the MC in Carry On). Now that I know this, I get it a bit more and it kinda makes sense. Although, can someone please tell Goodreads that this is the case because it seems to think the books aren't connected at all. Surely they should be listed as part of a series??? So, once I found that out, I tried to look at it with a new perspective and admit that I did enjoy it much more. Simon Snow is funny. He's the all-round typical Chosen One in that he's courageous, brave and loyal but on the flip side, he's sweet, charming and utterly clueless. He literally has no idea what he's doing romantically or otherwise. Baz is a bad-ass vampire and Simon's arch nemesis, but at the beginning of the book he's missing, something which drives Simon very much insane. I did enjoy the bond and the camaraderie between Baz and Simon, but what I wasn't too keen on is that it takes so long for Baz to make an appearance and that even when he does there isn't quite as much romance as I'd been led to believe. The story, being a fan-fiction/parody style story was fairly predictable and I felt the saving grace of the book was Simon and Baz's changing relationship, which should (in my opinion) have taken center stage. This I think became more apparent as the other characters in the book began to have POV chapters which I really wasn't a fan of. I didn't particularly like or connect with any of the other characters and just wish that the book had been solely from Baz and Simon's perspectives. It was Baz who kept me reading when things got a little 'slow' for me. Overall, I enjoyed the story, there were plenty of fun moments, and a few tender ones. I just personally felt that the romance was somewhat underplayed since that's what sold me on the book in the first place. As an after note, I will definitely be checking out Fangirl as soon as possible because I feel like there's a lot to offer from this author and I wonder if maybe I struggled to enjoy this book because I hadn't read that one. We shall see :) What did you think of Carry On? I'd love to know your thoughts! Comments are closed.
|
Never miss a post!
About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
Recently Read:
#Bookstagram:Upcoming Blog Tours:
|